Sunlight can be used in a couple of different ways for power. One way is for heat or steam and the other way is for electrical energy. The electrical energy version creates a flow of electrons when sunlight falls on silicon crystals and thus creates an electric current.

A solar inverter and solar panels will be the two main items that you use in a solar system for your home. The solar panels will create the electrical energy and the solar inverter will convert that electrical energy, which is in the form of direct current exiting the panels, into alternating current to power your household appliances, lights and other items in your home.

Most solar panels are mounted on the roof of your house but there are other options. One option might be to mount the solar panels close to your house but on the ground. Some homeowners might have to do this due to shade or no direct sunlight on the roof of the house due to trees or other obstacles. You can also create a small shed to contain the electronic components such as the inverter, batteries and charge controller.

What ever option you choose, ground or roof mount, you will still receive the same benefits. The ground mounting will actually make the solar panel and roof maintenance easier. If you live in a climate that receives snow on a regular basis in the winter time then having the panels on the ground will allow you to remove the snow and continue receiving power from the sun.

The further south your home is, living north of the equator, the more direct sunlight you will receive and the more power your solar panels can supply you throughout the year. Northern climates have shorter daylight hours and therefore less power will be generated from a solar system. Taking your geographical location into account is one of the items that needs to be thought about when designing a solar system for your home.

A solar film is being used recently as an alternative to silicon panels for absorbing solar energy. This film however is less efficient than silicon panels. A steel roof is used beneath the solar film and that can be costly. As the film needs to be in a larger area and so does the steel roof beneath it, which increases the cost of the building.

Solar panels come in a variety of sizes and powers. Some typical power sizes seem to be around the 200 watt but they can vary up or down depending on the manufacturer. A rough guide to the costs of a solar panel are about $4 a watt, so a 200 watt solar panel will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of about $800, give or take $100. Of course this all depends on the efficiency of the panel and the drop off of efficiency over the years.

You will want to do some planning prior to installing a large solar power system for your home. Figuring out what your local power company pays for power that you sell back should be considered when thinking about going grid free or grid tied. There are other items to think about also such as batteries for storage or not. Whatever your plans, reducing your energy needs will help our environment and the ongoing pollution from non-renewable resource usage.

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